White House: Lebanon Should Be Free of Syria
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James Joyner | Monday, February 14, 2005 |
U.S. Says Lebanon Should Be Free of Syria (Reuters)
The White House on Monday condemned the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri and said Lebanon should be free to pursue its political future free of violence and Syrian occupation. White House spokesman Scott McClellan said he was not trying to link Syria with the car bomb that killed Hariri and at least a dozen other people in Beirut. He said Washington did not know who was responsible.
“We condemn this brutal attack in the strongest possible terms. We extend our condolences to Mr. Hariri’s family and to his many friends and followers in Lebanon,” McClellan said. He said Hariri “worked tirelessly to rebuild a free, independent and prosperous Lebanon following its civil war and foreign occupation.” “This murder today is a terrible reminder that the Lebanese people must be able to pursue their aspirations and determine their own political future free from violence and intimidation and free from Syrian occupation,” McClellan said.
Quite right. One wonders, though, how much we’re willing to do about it. We sent troops, with rather tragic and embarrasing consequences, over twenty years ago to fix the Lebanan mess. More recently, we’ve fought wars to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation, to prevent internal violence against Kosvar Albanians from their own government, and to oust Saddam Hussein from power and establish democracy in Iraq.
Syria is, along with Iran, one of the chief sponsors of international terrorism. Theoretically, the Bush Doctrine would seem to indicate that we’d be willing to use military force if diplomacy is not successful here. One wonders, though, we actually would given how tightly stretched our resources are.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia.
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